Right-hander Kyle Drabek and outfielder Michael Taylor are the winners of the Paul Owens Award for the best pitcher and player, respectively, in the Phillies minor league system for 2008, Chuck LaMar, Assistant General Manager, Player Development & Scouting announced today.

The two players will receive their awards during a pre-game presentation on Tuesday, September 15, when the Phillies host the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

Drabek, 21, went a combined 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 25 games (23 starts) between single-A Clearwater and double-A Reading. He had 150 strikeouts in 158.0 innings and pitched a 9.0-inning shutout in his final start with Clearwater on May 29.

Taylor hit a combined .320 with 28 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs, 84 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 116 games between Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley. Named the Eastern League's Rookie of the Year, the 23-year-old hit for the cycle on August 12 against Louisville, going 5-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI. Taylor ended his season on the disabled list with a right oblique strain.

Both Drabek and Taylor were originally drafted by the Phillies. Drabek was a first-round selection in the 2006 draft (18th overall) out of The Woodlands High School in Texas and Taylor was chosen in the fifth round in 2007 out of Stanford University.

Instituted in 1986, the award is named for the late Paul Owens, who spent 48 years in the Phillies organization as a scout, farm director, general manager, manager and senior advisor.